Stories from

There have been winter mornings in Le Roy when Myrtle Burrell couldn't even see down Wolcott Street from her crossing station at Main and Church, the snow was blowing so hard.

No matter the weather, for 34 years, with only a couple of days off, Burrell has been at her post helping children get across Main Street safely.

Even this morning, on the day of her 90th birthday.

It was no big deal, she said. "As I told my grandson, it's just two 45s."

The last time she missed a crossing guard shift, she said, was when her husband Roy passed away.

"I don’t believe in missing time unless something is really wrong," she said. "I guess I'm too dedicated."

She loves the kids, she said. And she doesn't let them mess around on her corner, she said. Once when some boys were acting up Burrell, who isn't much taller than many of the children she helps cross, told them they better watch it or she would karate chop them. And they said, "oh, right," so the next day she came back to the corner with a picture of herself from a karate class. That got the boys' attention.

Burrell started the job after being laid off when the Sylvania plant in Batavia closed. She went to a get-together at a friend's house and somebody mentioned working as a dispatcher and Burrell said, "that's something I'd like to do." 

The person told her to go see then-Police Chief Sam Steffenilla.

She did.

He hired her on the spot.

But then the crossing guard who worked Main and Church decided to quit. Steffenilla asked her if she wanted that job and she said she couldn't do both jobs, but agreed to give the crossing guard job a try.

"They showed me what to do and left me and I've been on my own ever since," she said.

A car has reportedly hit a tree in the area of 1059 Ledge Road, Alabama.

The initial report is minor injuries though the driver can't get out of the car.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

T.F. Brown's/Lions Club will once again host their annual Christmas Day Community Dinner, which is free and open to all members of the community who want to enjoy a full-course holiday dinner and a visit from Santa.

For Christmas Day, there are two seatings Christmas Day, at noon and at 1 p.m.

Children will be able to visit with Santa and receive a present.

For reservations, call Barb at (585) 345-1000. Barb will need to know how many people are attending and if children are attending, their names and ages.

A visit with Santa and a gift capped an evening of fun and food for 71 area children Friday night at St. James Episcopal Church as Community Action of Genesee Orleans and United Healthcare teamed up to bring some Christmas cheer to 20 families.

Eligible families received some sort of assistance during the year from Community Action.

Gifts were donated either by members of the community or through a fund from United Healthcare, which also helped pay for the crafts, games and food served during the festivities.

Each child received a present with his or her name on it picked just for them.

There were also 10 different craft tables where children could make Christmas decorations to take home.

Top photo: 4-year-old Faith looks at her Christmas present with her mother, Letisha Williams. Below, Danica, 4, is excited to receive a present from Santa.

One of two men accused of taking part in a near-fatal knife attack against a person on East Main Street in Batavia in July, entered a guilty plea in County Court today to one count of attempted assault in the first degree, a Class C violent felony.

JW Hardy faces a sentence of up to 10 years under terms of the plea agreement. Sentencing is scheduled for 1:45 p.m., Feb. 14.

Hardy, 30, and co-defendant Anthony Spencer Jr., 26, were initially charged with assault in the first degree and gang assault, 1st, for allegedly working in tandem to beat and stab a victim July 18 at a location on East Main Street.

Spencer's case is still pending and he's due in court on Monday.

Officer Arick Perkins is credited with saving the victim's life.

Pending sentencing, Hardy remains at liberty.

A motor-vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported in the ara of 3371 Maltby Road, between Fox Road and North Pearl Road, in Oakfield.

Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:17 p.m.: An Oakfield chief requests Mercy EMS continue to the scene for evaluation of one patient.

Press release:

“I don’t know how to fix all of our problems, but anyone can tell you that if you are about to remodel an old house, the first thing you should do is replace any rotten boards,” "Fix It" Larry Piegza says. “People are saying that the Republican Party is not the same party (as) it was 20 years ago and many people feel that Chris Collins is part of the problem.

"He doesn’t stand for the basic values moral Republicans believe in, nor does he put New York first. He is not making our health insurance affordable. We are drowning in taxes and Collins just voted on a tax bill that raises NYS residents’ taxes. Let’s start our remodel today.”

Fix It Larry Piegza began his campaign to run for the Republican nomination for New York State’s 27th Congressional District with the launch of FixItLarry.org. A computer-technician-turned-entrepreneur, he started a small software business in his attic with $10,000. He feels he is a great candidate because he sees firsthand how tough it is for small businesses to survive under government regulation.

Despite this, he has a 15-year track record of growing his company with no deficit spending. The company now employees 25 people. He feels that Western New Yorkers will benefit from his good decision-making skills and his strong desire for a balanced budget – both for New York state and the country.

“Many people are saying we’ve drifted from believing in good fiscal responsibility, ethical values, and a government that stays out of our lives. People are saying they’d like to see us return to these values. I’ve shown that I can make good fiscal decisions that aren’t at the expense of another person. I’d love to help restore the party to a strong ethical foundation,” his Facebook page states.

A West Seneca native, Larry went to Orchard Park schools and has lived in Western New York his entire life. Married for 19 years to a graduate of Pembroke High School, Larry has a daughter, 13 and a son, 15, that he likes to take outdoors year round, from sledding at Chestnut Ridge, hiking in Letchworth State Park, or visiting his in-laws in Batavia.

“This is a beautiful area and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. But we need a change in leadership if Western New Yorkers are going to survive,” Fix It Larry says. “Raising NYS taxes will not help New Yorkers. Voting to repeal without replacing our health care will not help us survive. The GOP is endorsing pedophiles, which is not a Christian value, and therefore Chris Collins needs to go.”

Press release:

There is a water main break on Richmond Avenue in front of Van Detta Stadium. Crews are on site to make repairs which will take several hours. Please be advised that Richmond Avenue will be closed to traffic between Union Street and Verona Avenue until repairs are complete.

The same technology that is changing how you watch a basketball game or movie on your home television is also making surgery safer and more efficient at United Memorial Medical Center.

Two operating rooms at UMMC have been outfitted with a 4K camera system from Olympus and 4K large-screen monitors from Sony.

"We are one of the few hospitals in the region who has it," said Dr. Andrea Zucchiatti, a surgeon at UMMC. "Nobody in Buffalo has it. Nobody in Syracuse has it. Nobody in Albany has it. They have one in Auburn and Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong has it and we have it."

The medical camera is an improvement over previous high-definition systems not only because of the higher and more detailed resolution but also because more light can get in through the lens, allowing for brighter exposures in dimly lit areas of a human body.

Zucchiatti said the technology allows surgery to be performed faster -- the patient is under sedation and in the operating room for less time -- and incisions can be smaller.

"We can perform safer and more efficient surgeries," Zucchiatti said.

Mike Randall, WKBW's chief meteorologist and an actor, performed a reading of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens last night at the Richmond Memorial Library. In Randall's live solo performance he takes on the role of 25 characters from the story.

Local community members met in City Council Chambers last night to discuss and map out their ideas on how to improve Downtown Batavia.

The public meeting is part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the $10 million state prize won by Batavia, to help make improvements to downtown.

Community members discussed options to help establish priorities for how the $10 million might be spent.

This was the first of three public meetings. The public will also be invited to offer their opinions through online surveys.

The meeting was facilitated by Edward Flynn, planning division director for Labella Associations in Rochester.

Press release:

It is with a powerful sense of sadness and loss, tempered by pride in our past and the hope of a faithful and resilient people for the future, that the Genesee County Baseball Club (GCBC), the nonprofit that has owned the Batavia Muckdogs of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania Professional Baseball League, announces that control of the franchise has been transferred to the New York-Penn League.

The transfer was officially approved by the GCBC's 23-person all-volunteer board.

The league is seeking a buyer for the franchise. Under terms of the transfer, the Rochester Red Wings, who have managed day-to-day operations of the club since 2008, will receive 50 percent of any sale price, and the GCBC will receive the other 50 percent, minus legal fees and the 10 percent share of sale proceeds that will be kept by the league. The name “Muckdogs” will remain property of the GCBC.

Batavia is the last of the original cities of the New York-Penn League, which was founded at a meeting in the Hotel Richmond in Batavia and began play in 1939 as the PONY (Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York) League.

The ongoing geographic expansion of the league, which now stretches from Aberdeen, Md., to Burlington, Vt., and from Staten Island to Morgantown, W.Va., has made it tremendously difficult for the smaller Upstate New York cities that once formed the heart of the league to survive. Lodging and travel costs have become prohibitive for small-market teams in the western part of New York State.

The sole remaining longtime Upstate New York franchise is in Auburn, which entered the league in 1958.

Brian Paris, president of the Genesee County Baseball Club, thanked the Rochester Red Wings:

“We are deeply grateful to the Red Wings for their absolutely pivotal role in preserving NYP League baseball in Batavia for these last 10 years — which included the franchise’s fourth league championship in 2008. Naomi Silver, Gary Larder, and the rest of the Red Wings organization are great people and have been a pleasure to work with.”

Paris also praised the Batavia fans, noting that for years, the team had annually ranked in the top half of the league in per-capita attendance.

“Batavia has a great core of fans,” he said. “Dwyer Stadium is the friendliest ballpark in America.”

He saluted the hundreds of local businesses that have supported the team over the years, noting that “in best grassroots fashion, small businesses have been the advertising backbone of this team.”

It is not yet clear where the franchise will play ball in the summer of 2018. That decision is up to the league. But Paris expressed the hope that when June 2018 rolls around, a team called the Batavia Muckdogs—whether as a member of the NYP League or perhaps a summer league for top college players--will take the field at Dwyer Stadium.

An ambulance has been dispatched to the toll booths on the New York State Thruway in Pembroke for an employee who has reportedly suffered an electrical shock.

No word on the extent of injuries, if any.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments also responding.

UPDATE 3:11 p.m.: The patient suffered minor burns on her fingers and was transported to ECMC. She was plugging something in to an electric outlet when she was shocked. 

A semi-truck driver lost control of his rig on Ellicott Street Road in Bethany at about 9 o'clock this morning and slid off the roadway.

No injuries were reported.

The accident was in the area of 5902 Ellicott Street Road.

Bethany fire responded.

Photos by Glenn Adams.

Austin L. Wester, 23, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with four counts of forgery, 3rd, one count of petit larceny, and possession of a hypodermic instrument.  Wester was arrested on a warrant for allegedly taking another person's checks and cashing those checks by forging that person's signature. At the time of his arrest, Wester was allegedly found a needle in his pocket. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Davon S. St. John, 19, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. St. John allegedly stole property from T.F. Brown's. 

(Name redacted upon request), 18, of Ridge Road, Elba, and (name redacted upon request), age and address not released, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Xxx and xxx were charged following a traffic stop by Christopher Lindsay at 8:32 p.m. Dec. 8 on Liberty Street, Batavia.

Shawn M. Twardowski, 35, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt, 2nd. While Twardowski was an inmate at the Genesee County Jail on Nov. 18, and again on March 26, he allegedly sent letters via postal mail to a person he was barred from contacting in any manner.

Corey O. Armstrong, 46, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Armstrong was stopped by Batavia PD while driving in the city on Tuesday. Armstrong was wanted on a warrant stemming from a sealed Grand Jury indictment. 

During the traffic stop, Armstrong was also allegedly found in possession of marijuana. 

Armstrong was arrested as the result of a Local Drug Task Force investigation into the possession, transportation and sale of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.

Following arraignment in County Court on the indictment, he was jailed without bail.

Press release:

As the volunteer lists keep growing, Progressive Democratic Congressional candidate Nicholas Stankevich has opened his first district office. The work space is located at 56 Harvester Ave. in Batavia, Genesee County. Renovated from a former industrial work space, the Stankevich campaign has scheduled an Open House and the official opening to be Thursday, Dec. 21st, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

“Our intention is to provide a great place for our volunteers to work on our campaign as we begin the important process of taking back the 27th Congressional District,” Stankevich said. “We will win this election only with the hard work of our volunteers and pressing the important issues that greatly influence the families of this district.”

The office is housed in the old Massey-Harris plant. Designed as a workspace for volunteers, the office will be used on a continual basis to house volunteer activities for the Stankevich campaign.

“This office is really what this campaign is all about,” Stankevich said. “Our district used to be full of manufacturing jobs like those that were housed in this facility. Today, we have to develop 21st century jobs, educate our young people, train them in new technologies and opportunities that provide a strong livable wage. That is how we will bring back our communities in Western New York.”

Office Hours are daily, but dependent on the volunteer schedule. The Open House is a great way to grab a cup of coffee with the candidate to discuss the issues of the 27th Congressional District.